This week I’m bringing you a heartfelt, insightful, and authentic conversation with Rebecca Michael, the Head of Marketing for Google Search & Maps. As an executive, a mother of two, and a seasoned professional with an impressive tenure at Google, Rebecca shares her journey of embracing imperfection and finding fulfillment in both her personal and professional life.
In this episode, Rebecca shares with me the intricacies of navigating raising children in a two-parent executive household. From the challenges of infertility to the importance of a supportive partner, Rebecca opens up about her experiences and the systems she has put in place to manage the chaos of her daily life.
👶 The Journey to Motherhood
Rebecca talks about her initial uncertainties around having children, the years of therapy she undertook to prepare for the identity shift, and how she finally decided it was the right time to start a family.
“I think my biggest fear was that I would lose myself. Like, lose myself to being a mother. I'd been like, Rebecca, for so many years, and you know, I had this feeling that like, maybe it would be suffocating and claustrophobic, or I wouldn't be able to be myself anymore.”
🧬 Navigating Infertility and IVF
Rebecca shares her deeply personal experience with IVF, the emotional and physical challenges it brought, and how she managed her responsibilities at work during this period.
“It was a really humbling experience. I had to get okay with the feeling that my body couldn't do what it was supposed to do. In the end, I embraced science wholeheartedly and felt fortunate that I could benefit from IVF.”
🏡 Building a Support System
With her family located in Europe, Rebecca discusses the importance of creating a “village” around her, including hiring caregivers and even a plant caretaker, to ensure a well-rounded support system for her and her children.
“It was very clear to me early on that I had to build my village. I spent a lot of time finding a couple of good caregivers early on that could help me. They're still with us, four years later.”
🛠️ Division of Labor at Home
Insights into how Rebecca and her husband, Tom, manage their household tasks. From finances to cooking, they have found a way to leverage their strengths and create a balanced home environment.
“Tom manages our finances, all of our house admin, and he also cleans up after dinner. I focus more on the kids' stuff and cooking. Because the division of labor is quite clear, it allows us to really own our lanes.”
🌅 Morning Routines and Family Time
Rebecca emphasizes the importance of family cuddles in the morning and how starting the day with her children helps set a positive tone for everyone.
“We have at least 15-20 minutes every morning of what we call family cuddles. It's a really important part of our day. It sets us all off on the right foot and is very fortifying.”
👩👧👦 The Concept of the “Good Enough” Mother
Drawing from Donald Winnicott's theory, Rebecca discusses how striving for perfection can lead to burnout and why being “good enough” is beneficial for both parents and children.
“The idea is that actually kids can benefit when you're not perfect, when you let them down from time to time, because they build resilience. By not trying to be perfect and thinking it's okay to be good enough, you don't get burnt out and then you're a better parent.”
💼 Balancing Work and Personal Time
Rebecca explains how she integrates her professional skills into her parenting style and the importance of setting intentions without rigid schedules to prevent burnout.
“I try to set intentions without rigid schedules. It's about integrating my skills and being flexible, which helps prevent burnout and allows me to be present both at work and at home.”
🧘♀️ Taking a Reset Week
The value of taking time off to reset, reflect, and recharge. Rebecca shares her approach to taking a week off just for herself, the benefits it brought, and how it has become a vital part of her self-care routine.
“I took a couple of weeks off over Christmas and New Year, and we didn't go away anywhere. The first week was a Rebecca week. It allowed me to reset and reflect, which has become a vital part of my self-care routine.”
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[00:00:00] Hi everyone. Today. I am chatting with a good friend of mine, Rebecca Michael, who was the head of marketing for Google search and Google maps. [00:00:49] Rebecca has such a beautiful outlook on life. She is thoughtful, warm, and just an incredible spirit to be around. But on top of these qualities, she is leading marketing for [00:01:00] a product that we use multiple times a day. [00:01:02] And I have to say her and her husband are the definition of a power couple. [00:01:08] This conversation feels different than the others I've had on this podcast so far in the best possible way. It is heartfelt. It is vulnerable. It is insightful. It is an authentic look at being a working mom. I am positive. You're going to take away some themes from this conversation into your daily lives. [00:01:26] So let's get started. [00:01:29] Barbara Mighdoll: Welcome, Rebecca. It is so good to have you here. [00:01:33] Rebecca Michael: I'm really happy to be here. Thank you. Thanks for having me. [00:01:36] Barbara Mighdoll: I want to share with our listeners how we actually know each other because I think so many of us really are looking to build that like strong tribe of moms around us And I think the way that we know each other is just a perfect example of how you can really lean into your children to help You make friends So a little bit of background my son kaden and rebecca's daughter cleo. [00:01:57] Barbara Mighdoll: We're actually friends I mean, like, [00:02:00] very best friends. They played together almost every single day at the park for an entire year before Rebecca and I ended up meeting each other. Two years later, we've enjoyed many, many, many park dates together. But we've also enjoyed a lot of fun dinners without the kids, which has been amazing to get to know you. [00:02:18] Barbara Mighdoll: And as I've gotten to know you, I've so admired your professional successes, your patience and parenting, and just in general how you've chosen to live your life. So I want to talk about navigating what we have to do in order to effectively cut through the chaos of balancing motherhood and career. And I want to know how you've taken your professional superpowers and applied them to your personal life. [00:02:43] Barbara Mighdoll: To begin, can you just share a little bit of who you are for anybody that doesn't know you? I want to hear both personal and professional kind of your elevator pitch. [00:02:51] Rebecca Michael: Okay. Well, thank you for that welcome. I feel humbled and pumped up by that. So I very much appreciate it. That's what, that's what mum friends are for. [00:02:59] Rebecca Michael: [00:03:00] I'm Rebecca Michael. I'm a mum, first and foremost. I'm a mum of two toddlers, Cleo and Odin. Cleo is three, Odin is one. Londoner at heart and by birth. So I grew up in the UK and moved around in a number of countries, Tokyo, Singapore, and then ended up in San Francisco about eight years ago now. My professional life, I'm a long term Googler coming up on 16 years. [00:03:27] Rebecca Michael: Cannot believe it. I lead marketing for Google Maps and Google Search, which is, you know, pretty much my dream job as a marketer. So grateful for that every day. Once upon a time, I was An actress in a UK TV show called EastEnders that's like a little part of my identity as well. [00:03:46] Rebecca Michael: I think age five to age 11, I was on a soap opera in the UK. [00:03:51] Barbara Mighdoll: I love that. Can you set the stage for what life looks like at the present moment? [00:03:56] Rebecca Michael: Sure. Life is very full. [00:04:00] I am fortunate that, you know, I love my work. I have two great kids. I love being a mom, you know, I love being married. I have a very supportive partner. [00:04:08] Rebecca Michael: So I'm fortunate in many ways. I think it's almost, it's too much of a good thing would be how I put it. Like, you know, seeking balance. It's like some essence of balance in my day, not burning myself out in all these roles I have. And, you know, allocating my time, allocating my energy is, you know, is my constant struggle. [00:04:29] Barbara Mighdoll: Yeah. I totally get that. I actually want to start by going back to the very beginning of your parenting journey. I know. So, you and your husband are both British and you were traveling internationally before becoming parents, kind of living like this more nomadic, free lifestyle before eventually settling in San Francisco. [00:04:50] Barbara Mighdoll: And, you know, we've actually never talked about this, so I'm very curious on, on your answer here. I don't think it ever feels like the right time to, like, settle in. Settle down and start a family. So what that [00:05:00] conversation like with your husband on Now's the right time and how did you think about navigating the right time in your career? [00:05:09] Rebecca Michael: Yeah, I think it's well put there's never like a a right time for a while I wasn't sure I wanted to have kids And you know, I think it's very healthy For that not to be an expected thing, not to be a pressure on women. And you know, my life felt very full. I was having fun. I was traveling. And so really, like, making that decision was a big deal for me. [00:05:29] Rebecca Michael: And I actually had a lot of therapy. I had a few years of therapy where I explored some of what I was experiencing as maybe Kind of sources of anxiety, or sources of like, feeling stuck. And I think my biggest fear was that I would lose myself. Like, lose myself to being a mother. I'd been like, Rebecca, for so many years, and you know, I had this feeling that like, maybe it would be suffocating and claustrophobic, or I wouldn't be able to be myself anymore. [00:05:57] Rebecca Michael: And, you know, I worked through [00:06:00] that, and I got to a place where, actually, I thought I could, you grow myself. I could become a richer version of myself. And I think it took me a while also to like, to look at different ways of being a mom and being a parent and realizing that, like, I can just organize things so I can, you know, still have the time that I need as myself, preserve my identity, but then, you know, open myself up to this other experience, which is being a mom. [00:06:26] Rebecca Michael: And I would say I was, you know, I was probably mid thirties by then. And it was, you know, a 10 year journey of kind of talking about it and thinking about it And I was at least 10, 15 years in to my career at that point. So it felt right. [00:06:40] Barbara Mighdoll: Yeah. I love the thought process there and how much introspective work you did to kind of come to this idea of how your identity was going to shift. [00:06:49] Barbara Mighdoll: I feel like honestly, so many people, myself included, had zero clue what I was stepping into from an identity shift perspective. It didn't like hit me until I think it was like seven months pregnant. And I [00:07:00] was just like, Oh my God, what did I just do? So I love that you kind of entered into motherhood with this, this perspective. [00:07:07] Barbara Mighdoll: I know like so many women, the road to pregnancy was not an easy one for you, which led you to pursue IVF. And, you know, I think in work environments, it sometimes feels like it's something you have to navigate. On your own and act like nothing is happening to distract you from like performing at your job. [00:07:27] Barbara Mighdoll: So I'm curious how you led your team and navigated your role while you were navigating IVF. [00:07:35] Rebecca Michael: Yeah, it's a important thing to talk about. I think just transitioning from all these years of being like, okay, now I'm ready. Like I'm Zen. I'm gonna be a mom. I'm, I'm ready for this challenge. And then it was a really humbling. [00:07:49] Rebecca Michael: Okay, I'm ready to go. I'll be pregnant next week. And then I realized like, well, actually like this is complicated. And so, you know, the experience and I had to kind of get okay with. This [00:08:00] feeling at first that like my body couldn't do what it was supposed to do. And, you know, it took me a little while to work through that. [00:08:06] Rebecca Michael: And then in the end I was like, you know, well, I'm fortunate that I can benefit from IVF and so I'm going to embrace science wholeheartedly. In terms of how I led my team, I felt very comfortable being open about my journey. It's. I'm fortunate, like at Google, I'd say maybe many tech companies, it is kind of normalized to, to be able to talk about IVF. [00:08:26] Rebecca Michael: And that said, I was quite, I was quite narrow with who I shared it with. And that was not because it wasn't acceptable, but more because I knew it was going to be a journey. And I felt like people checking in with me and being like, how's it going? And like me having to say, Oh, like it didn't work out or we're still trying. [00:08:43] Rebecca Michael: I felt like that would create some extra pressure on me. Yeah. So I didn't share much what was going on at work at the time, but I did like, I did take days off when I needed to. And then after the fact, I've been very open about sharing my journey because [00:09:00] I, you know, I want to be someone that people can talk about it with, talk about the other. [00:09:04] Rebecca Michael: Yeah. [00:09:06] Barbara Mighdoll: And so you mentioned that you took some days off. Were there any kind of other specific adjustments you, you made to accommodate like the schedule? What did you say you were doing on those days off? [00:09:17] Rebecca Michael: I think I probably took them as sick days, which is fine, like, you know, because you're not feeling either physically or mentally up to work. [00:09:24] Rebecca Michael: I remember that I was very focused on, like, self care, like, getting early nights, having acupuncture, like, having massages, doing, like, slow yoga and breathing. It felt, it felt like I needed to nourish myself at that time. So I prioritized that. I think the thing that was helpful for me though, is accepting that there was not that much I could control in the process, like beyond doing what the doctor tells you, like there's not that much that you can control. [00:09:56] Rebecca Michael: And I think people are so want to feel that there's agency. And so, [00:10:00] you know, getting early nights, like, I could, I had to get myself away from like, I'll get an early night because then it'll work. It's just like, it was just more like, this is a time to take care of myself, if that makes sense. [00:10:10] Barbara Mighdoll: I think that's such good advice. [00:10:12] Barbara Mighdoll: And thank you so much for sharing that because, you know, It's not talked about enough and especially like how you're managing work and balancing everything. I think it's something a lot of people are struggling with silently. So thank you for sharing that. I, I now want to fast forward to the more current part of your journey. [00:10:29] Barbara Mighdoll: You now have two beautiful children and I want to get into systems with you for some Real like note taking moments for our listeners. I think you are incredible at identifying what you need and how you can find help for the things that may not be as obvious, but really take time or mental load. So can you talk to me about the village you've hired around you to help you, especially because you don't have a ton of family nearby? [00:10:56] Rebecca Michael: Yeah, so my family are in Europe. [00:11:00] Cleo was born during the pandemic. The plan was to, like, fly my mom out and she would help for a bit, but she actually wasn't even able to meet Cleo till Cleo was 18 months when the travel ban was lifted. And so, It was very clear to me early on that I had to build my village. [00:11:18] Rebecca Michael: I spent a lot of time finding a couple of good caregivers early on that could help me. I've, and they're still with us, four years later. So I thought I'm a new mom, like, What kind of like caregiving is the right compliment to me? I wanted someone that would be an expert, but also respect me and not feel like overbearing. [00:11:42] Rebecca Michael: I also, I'm of the mind that the more people that my kids have around them that love them, the better. And so I went for like two part time. People versus like having one nanny that could help with everything. And that's worked really well for us because it creates more [00:12:00] flexibility. They're kind of different in personalities. [00:12:03] Rebecca Michael: And so I feel like my children get different influences and they also are reassured that like their needs can be met by multiple people. Obviously my husband and I work full time. And so, you know, that's, that's why. We needed that. I feel like a guilty luxury is I have someone that helps me take care of my plants. [00:12:22] Rebecca Michael: I love this. So I'm a plant person and plants, they bring me so much joy. And you know, some of the plants are like, they're part of the family. And some of them have been with us for like, you know, almost 10 years. And then when I had kids, like they started getting neglected and we had some casualties. I ended up like having to go back to spending a lot of money at the plant shop. [00:12:43] Rebecca Michael: And so in the end, I spoke to the plant shop and I was like, could someone come by on their way to work and just help me out here? And that's worked really well. So, you know, it's a guilty pleasure, but I think, yeah, some people have pets and they have dog walkers and they have vets and stuff. So that's my equivalent. [00:12:58] Barbara Mighdoll: I can totally relate. [00:13:00] I do have some plants. They're more easier maintenance ones than probably the ones you have, but I do have a dog as well, who I often sometimes feel is neglected. So, totally, totally, totally can understand that. What about, I guess, kind of like all of the other systems in your house, right? [00:13:16] Barbara Mighdoll: Like, talk to me about who does all the cooking for you. [00:13:21] Rebecca Michael: So, it probably makes sense to talk about division of labor with my husband, Tom. I think we're fortunate that we have quite a natural division of labor. Like, and it happened quite organically. Very different skill sets. Tom manages our finances, all of our house admin, car admin, maintenance, insurance, all of those things. [00:13:41] Rebecca Michael: And he also cleans up after dinner, which makes me very happy. And then I focus more on the kids stuff and cooking. So I, like I figure out our meals, I do the cooking or I do the ordering. And then, you know, I, I hold more of the mental load for the kids. So doctor's appointments, birthdays, I work with our [00:14:00] caregivers and like figure out their schedules. [00:14:01] Rebecca Michael: And I think because the division of labor is quite clear, it allows us to really own our lanes. [00:14:06] Barbara Mighdoll: I mean, it's just like at work, right? Roles and responsibilities and ownership are the name of the game. So I love that you're kind of running your household just like that, which. I totally identify with as well. [00:14:18] Barbara Mighdoll: Um, me being in marketing and my husband being in finance. Yeah, very [00:14:22] Rebecca Michael: similar. Yeah, we're very similar. And I, you know, I, like I had an insight, I think after Odin was born, you know, the baby's not sleeping, it's been three months at this point, you've got two kids, like it can feel really overwhelming. And I did feel, I went through this period of feeling like I was doing more. [00:14:42] Rebecca Michael: And like, I'm, you know, I felt like I was holding. And then, the insight I had is Actually, at this time, it's really easy to feel like you're doing more. Like I, I know that in a lot of households, the division of labor isn't equal and there is a problem with kind of [00:15:00] the hidden work for women, but we are both working so hard at the moment and we are so tired that we believe that we must be doing more. [00:15:08] Rebecca Michael: Right? It's like, how can I not be doing more if I'm like, working so hard and so tired? [00:15:13] Barbara Mighdoll: Right. I totally get that. I guess on the topic of equal labor in the household, your husband is the CFO of a large tech company. So two very accomplished, successful executive parents in, in your household. Is there a default parent? [00:15:30] Barbara Mighdoll: Who's the one that stays home with the kids or, or is like the one that, defaults to being with them if, if needed. [00:15:37] Rebecca Michael: So I think it would be most obvious that it would be me, honestly, because I do lean more kid stuff, doctor's appointments, and my head is always going all the time on like how they are and like, has Odin had enough fat today? [00:15:51] Rebecca Michael: And has Cleo had enough calcium? She's decided not to drink milk anymore, you know, but I, Tom works from home and I'm out three days a [00:16:00] week. And so, you know, that forces us, for me, not to be the default, if that makes sense. [00:16:07] Barbara Mighdoll: Absolutely. I think it's so interesting thinking about the dynamics of who can work from home and who is away, because that does play a massive role. [00:16:16] Barbara Mighdoll: I mean, just, you know, By nature, working from home allows for more flexibility. And so I think for our listeners who are thinking about potentially like their next job or, or the makeup of the jobs between them and their partner, like thinking about working from home is definitely, I think, key to at least have one parent have that flexibility. [00:16:35] Barbara Mighdoll: Versus two parents full time in an office. [00:16:38] Rebecca Michael: I think that's, I think that's huge. And days where like he has to go and I have to go and then, you know, one of the kids is sick or it's like, ah, that's when we get tension, it's like we open the calendar and it's like, well, is your meeting really more important than my meeting? [00:16:52] Rebecca Michael: Like, yes, [00:16:55] Barbara Mighdoll: I remember those days and you're like kind of. mapping each other's calendars out to see who can [00:17:00] switch off when. Know that feeling all too well for sure. I would love for you to kind of tell us then like, what does a typical morning [00:17:07] Rebecca Michael: routine look like? So maybe something that I should come clean on is that I am not a very, I'm not someone that loves routine and scheduling. [00:17:16] Rebecca Michael: Like I do it very naturally. I mean, my, my day is almost fully scheduled given my job. I actually like kind of changing things up a bit and going with the flow a bit. So it is a little different on every day, like depending on what time the kids wake up or, you know, like what we feel like doing, but obviously they need some structure, right? [00:17:38] Rebecca Michael: And so there's a few things that we're consistent about. So the kids. Consistently wake up between 00, which I guess is a good thing. They sleep in the same room. So one wakes up, then the other wakes up, and then it's like this cacophony and crescendo, with them each trying to scream more loudly than the other, until one of us goes gets them.[00:18:00] [00:18:00] Rebecca Michael: And then we bring them both in the bed. And we have like at least 15, 20 minutes, like every morning of what we call family cuddles. It's, it's a really important part of our day. I find it, it sets us all off on the good foot, on the right foot. It's very fortifying. And so that's a really good starting point and foundation for us. [00:18:20] Rebecca Michael: Then. My next step is Cleo will wake up like with a very clear vision of what she wants to wear that day. And so I, I help her manifest that, you know, down to like what color hairband she's going to have and like what like unicorn necklace she needs to wear. So we'll do that. And then around 7. 30, I'll bring them down to our nanny who then take over, give them breakfast. [00:18:43] Rebecca Michael: And then that allows me to go back upstairs, get ready. If I'm working from home, I try and take Cleo to school. If I'm not working from home, it's a quick turnaround and I'm like back out the door onto the shuttle, get a coffee, shuttle to the office, and then usually I have breakfast in the office. [00:19:00] [00:19:00] Barbara Mighdoll: So here's what I love about that is I feel like we are constantly being fed. [00:19:05] Barbara Mighdoll: I'm not a morning person. I'm gonna put that out there. So like I feel, Like I want to be a morning person and I want to join the 5am club personally, but like your routine resonates with me so much more because I'm so much more of like a slow morning girl, you know, and I do feel like social media and like reading about all these productivity things. [00:19:25] Barbara Mighdoll: It's like, wake up an hour and a half before your kids like do all this stuff. But I love how you kind of incorporated with the kids like that really special moment. Just like peaceful in the morning before life gets so hectic and crazy for the day. [00:19:39] Rebecca Michael: Yeah. Yeah. And like knowing that's where our energy is at that time in the morning. [00:19:44] Rebecca Michael: So it's a good moment for us to have like a family time together. In the evening, it's all a bit more like, you know, we're all tired and disorganized and a bit grumpy. [00:19:53] Barbara Mighdoll: Yeah. I think another challenging part of this is how you find time with your husband, [00:20:00] right? Like crazy busy days. Figuring out kids schedules your schedules basically packed the entire day. [00:20:07] Barbara Mighdoll: So how do you carve out the time? [00:20:10] Rebecca Michael: So we are pretty Strict about getting the kids down and having dinner, just the two of us. And you know, they're like trade offs there. Like, it would be nice to have a family dinner. And like, if you all have dinner with the kids earlier, then like, maybe you can get to bed earlier. [00:20:27] Rebecca Michael: But for us, we come home from work and it's like, go, go, go, right. Start the two hour bedtime routine, blah, blah, blah. And then they're down and then it's this moment of peace. And I'd say like a little euphoria, which is just like the best time for us to like, take a breath. And it's almost like a date night every night. [00:20:47] Rebecca Michael: We have good conversations, you know, a little bit about the kids, but also about our day. And that's really sacred for us. [00:20:54] Barbara Mighdoll: I love that. There is a quote that you wrote in a personal essay and it was on the [00:21:00] concept of being a good enough mother and I, I want to read this quote from you just to kind of set the stage. [00:21:06] Barbara Mighdoll: So you wrote, I realized that you can't give everything to everybody all the time and most of the time that's okay. Colleagues, bosses, kids, friends don't need you to be perfect. They just need you to be good enough. I love that. First of all, so well said. I would love to know, how does that show up in your day to day and in your practice in your relationships? [00:21:30] Rebecca Michael: Yeah, it's It's a tough one, and it's, it's something that I continually have to work on. I think, like many of us, I put, I do put pressure on myself to be perfect. And, you know, that's almost why I had to write that, because then I could, like, you know, you could quote it back to me, and then I have to keep Breathe, manifest it, yeah. [00:21:49] Rebecca Michael: I think, you know, getting, you know, Like, when I was pregnant with Cleo, my dad was a psychotherapist for many years, and he gave me a book by, uh, a famous [00:22:00] psychoanalyst called Donald Winnicott, who is the, like, the grandfather of attachment theory, and kind of influences a lot of modern parenting advice. [00:22:09] Rebecca Michael: Through his research, you know, he came up with the insight and the concept of the good enough mother. And the idea is that actually kids can benefit when you're not perfect, when you let them down from time to time, because they build resilience. And also because by not trying to be perfect and thinking it's okay to be good enough, you don't get burnt out. [00:22:29] Rebecca Michael: And then you're a better parent. And I've held that with me since I was really young. Pregnant and a big place I try to bring it to life is as a parent, and I find like it's when I'm trying to be perfect, I get snappy with the kids or things didn't go the way I wanted to. And, and so, you know, I, you know, letting things go a bit like being okay if things are imperfect is something I'm, I'm trying to bring to life all the time. [00:22:54] Barbara Mighdoll: Do you have something like. I always struggle in those moments, right, where you feel like you're about to turn and like, be the [00:23:00] mom you really don't want to be, but like, you just can't help it. Is there anything that you say to yourself that really centers you in the moment? [00:23:08] Rebecca Michael: I think it's slightly different from the good enough. [00:23:11] Rebecca Michael: Parent insight, like, but I have another insight, which is like, often your reaction in the moment is actually like biases from how you were brought up that you may or may not want to live by. And so that is front of mind for me. And like, when I do feel like I'm going to react in a way, I remind myself of that. [00:23:31] Rebecca Michael: And I'm like, where is this coming from? Like, what parent do I want to be? Like, I make mistakes, I try and repair and all of that, but like, having that, like, concept is powerful. [00:23:42] Barbara Mighdoll: That's such a fresh concept for me, and I could see how that could really work. And again, I feel like you've done so much thoughtful introspection in, like, your day to day life. [00:23:52] Barbara Mighdoll: Like, even just having that as a tool in your handbook for When times get tough with the kids and like patients gets [00:24:00] tested. I can see how helpful that really could be, I guess, on a topic around like pausing and resetting, you attempted to do something recently that I absolutely loved. You told me that you wanted to take like two weeks off to reset professionally, personally, just like, to give yourself the space to think. [00:24:21] Barbara Mighdoll: I think we were like reminiscing on a slow morning, like going for a coffee, listening to a podcast and just like giving yourself the ability to pull yourself out of the day to day to like think about bigger initiatives for work, for home, what you want out of life, all of that. So can you kind of like, breakdown for me, how you identified when you wanted to do this, what the purpose was, the results, like, were you able to step away the way you wanted to? [00:24:46] Rebecca Michael: Yeah. So I took a couple of weeks off over Christmas and New Year, and we didn't go away anywhere. We had childcare during that time. So one of the weeks whilst I had childcare, I leant in more to [00:25:00] being with my kids, just trying to do fun stuff with them. And then the week after, which was the first week of. [00:25:05] Rebecca Michael: The year was just a Rebecca week, which I come clean on with my team. Like I, I'm like, I'm taking the first week off. I won't be around. It's a Rebecca week. Um, not going anywhere exciting except like in my head maybe. And. As we just talked about, like my typical week is so scheduled and planned, but actually the most important thing is not to have a schedule. [00:25:27] Rebecca Michael: I do have things I want to get done. So there'll, there'll be like three, four things I want to get done. I'll have some appointments in that time that will create some contours to the week and the day. Like, is it like a, Dinner with a girlfriend and a haircut before or like a couple of yoga classes and then I'll have a list of things like I wanted to read that article. [00:25:46] Rebecca Michael: I actually want to spend half a day thinking about my work and what I want to get done in my job this year and, but I really try and just like feel without getting too cheesy and like kind of, Woo woo. That's a word. I like feel into my energy [00:26:00] on, okay, like this morning I want to just have a slow breakfast and not do anything. [00:26:04] Rebecca Michael: Now I'm feeling productive. So I'm going to do that planning for work. So I guess it's, it's kind of setting intentions would be another way of saying it without setting the how. So what I love [00:26:15] Barbara Mighdoll: about this is I think so many of us Are just powering through right like we're powering through day by day by day and I think You can easily get burnt out and I think what I loved about This was just it's a strong attempt to not get burnt out and like allow yourself Like you said to like have fun in your mind, right? [00:26:37] Barbara Mighdoll: which like when you're going and going and going and going it gets very very difficult to Think and at the end of the day, like why are you in the role that you are? Because it's, it's your mind, right? Like that is your, your strongest asset. And if you're burning out and not able to like pull yourself out to like have those big strategic thoughts, like You're not [00:27:00] showing up like you want for work. [00:27:02] Barbara Mighdoll: You're not showing up like you want for home. And so I just think it should be more normalized that like, it's okay to take a week off and not go anywhere. Like, it's okay for you to be like, I need a week for myself, but I just love that. And so looking back, are you planning on doing this again? And from what you've learned from this experience, what would you recommend to our listeners who want to take a reset week? [00:27:23] Barbara Mighdoll: What's kind of the playbook? So I, I [00:27:26] Rebecca Michael: definitely recommend it. I think even I have, you know, I have limited PTO. I still prioritized it as how I want to spend it. You know, if you can keep your childcare, like send your kid to school, like somewhere through the week, you'll feel guilty because you'll be like, I have some time off and I'm not spending enough time with them. [00:27:44] Rebecca Michael: And at that point you can go take your kid out of school early and like give them the best day ever, but give yourself this, the space to like feel in. To the week on what is needed at different times. I. [00:28:00] Would own it with, with everyone. Like, I think it's important to model boundaries and model mental health and investing in yourself and there not being any shame with that. [00:28:12] Rebecca Michael: And then personally, it's the, what I want to get out of it versus the how. And cause it is precious. And I don't want to get to the end of the week and be like, okay, I just spent it on Instagram. I don't feel good about that. But I also don't want to plan the week and be like, you know, I haven't 12 of our days. [00:28:28] Rebecca Michael: to get everything I want in. So, you know, enough intention, goals, and then, you know, hold back on structure if you can. [00:28:37] Barbara Mighdoll: Great advice. I think the way I would love to close our conversation is by having you kind of pull out what you think is your superpower at work and tell us how you've seen it show up in your day to day life. [00:28:51] Rebecca Michael: It's a really good question. I think, It's what I would coin as integration. So it's [00:29:00] integration in the sense of being able to combine and bring together different skill sets. To get something done and, you know, in the context of my work in marketing, you know, one of the things that appealed to me about marketing is so multidisciplinary. [00:29:15] Rebecca Michael: It, you know, it pulls on, you know, analytics and kind of quantitative skills. It pulls on like consumer insight and psychology and emotional quotient, and it pulls on creativity. And I love that. I love being able to stretch my brain in those ways. And it's not just about doing those things in a silo. It's about integrating those. [00:29:36] Rebecca Michael: Right. And I think that I've built the skill set for doing that over these years. And then when it comes to being a parent, I realized that it's, it's more of the same. Like I have to make a decision on whether to give Clio antibiotics or like what my sleep training approach is. And that might require me to go to the data and understand it. [00:29:56] Rebecca Michael: And then also feel in to my [00:30:00] intuition. And my emotional sense of things, or like, you know, in any given week, you, you've got a program and a project and you're trying to work through it. And then you're trying to be a bit free and creative. And so I think that's my skill is like being able to bring different things together and integrate them. [00:30:15] Barbara Mighdoll: I mean, I think that's such a vital skill to be a parent and to feel like you're confident in the decisions that you're making as a parent, right? Like you said, There is a thousand data points on one particular subject in anything for parenting And then there's also a 10, 000 opinions right on how you should be doing that from other people around you And then there's your intuition and I personally felt like going through birth My first time was the first time I felt like the strongest sense of intuition Ever and I don't feel like that's ever really left me like where I just feel like What my gut is telling me is what I should be doing and so kind of being able to marry those three things together I think is such a valuable skill set in [00:31:00] parenting. [00:31:00] Rebecca Michael: Yeah, I think marketers [00:31:02] Barbara Mighdoll: make great parents I can agree. One last question. Where can our listeners connect with you after this? [00:31:09] Rebecca Michael: Best Place is LinkedIn. That's where I have my public profile. So would love to hear from you. You know, drop me an email as you connect. Amazing. [00:31:18] Barbara Mighdoll: Rebecca, thank you so much for being here today. [00:31:21] Barbara Mighdoll: I loved our chat as always, and I know everybody listening will enjoy it too. [00:31:27] Rebecca Michael: That was so fun. Thank you so much for having me. [00:31:29] Thanks for listening to this episode of the new modern mom podcast. I hope you can use the story shared today to simplify the chaos of career and motherhood. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe to this podcast. Give us a five star rating and leave a review. Please connect with me on LinkedIn and follow new modern mom on Instagram. [00:31:48] I know you're busy and I so appreciate your support for my mission to help more moms find work life fulfillment. And I have good news. The playbook doesn't end here. To get bonus strategies, tools, and [00:32:00] takeaways from this guest, sign up for my newsletter at NewModernMom. com backslash subscribe. I promise you'll be filing this under a must read.Author
